Thursday, December 2, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Did You Know?
Did You Know?
That 20th Century Fox and Atari got together sometime in the early eighties to develop a game based on the 1981 horror picture The Entity? It's true, and the prototype still exists! Why would they base a game on such clearly disturbing subject matter? Beats me, but it's totally radical! Check out this link for more information: http://www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/entity/entity.htm
That 20th Century Fox and Atari got together sometime in the early eighties to develop a game based on the 1981 horror picture The Entity? It's true, and the prototype still exists! Why would they base a game on such clearly disturbing subject matter? Beats me, but it's totally radical! Check out this link for more information: http://www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/entity/entity.htm
Sunday, October 31, 2010
October Horror Gauntlet Film #11
October Horror Gauntlet Film #11
[REC]
Directed by Balagueró and Plaza
I don't know what more I can really say about [REC]. It's one of my top ten horror films of the decade. It's my favorite found-footage film. It's one of the best zombie (viral, or otherwise) movies of all time. It's pretty much fantastic - taut, thrilling, scary, enthralling. All the things you want a horror film to be.
If you are one of the uninitiated, [REC] is the story of a young reporter that's on assignment following around a team of firefighters. They are dispatched to a call in an apartment building, where an elderly lady may be hurt. Of course, from there things get really interesting. I really don't want to get bogged down here in plot description. The plot is effective enough, but it's really secondary to the palpable sense of dread that the film creates. Other than maybe Martyrs, [REC] is probably weaves the most effective web of atmosphere of any horror flick in the last ten years.
Suffice to say that I recommend the film. And highly. I haven't seen the American remake (Quarantine), but I can't imagine it coming very close to matching the quality of [REC]. Maybe I'm wrong though, and it's just as awesome. But I doubt it.
8/10
[REC]
Directed by Balagueró and Plaza
I don't know what more I can really say about [REC]. It's one of my top ten horror films of the decade. It's my favorite found-footage film. It's one of the best zombie (viral, or otherwise) movies of all time. It's pretty much fantastic - taut, thrilling, scary, enthralling. All the things you want a horror film to be.
If you are one of the uninitiated, [REC] is the story of a young reporter that's on assignment following around a team of firefighters. They are dispatched to a call in an apartment building, where an elderly lady may be hurt. Of course, from there things get really interesting. I really don't want to get bogged down here in plot description. The plot is effective enough, but it's really secondary to the palpable sense of dread that the film creates. Other than maybe Martyrs, [REC] is probably weaves the most effective web of atmosphere of any horror flick in the last ten years.
Suffice to say that I recommend the film. And highly. I haven't seen the American remake (Quarantine), but I can't imagine it coming very close to matching the quality of [REC]. Maybe I'm wrong though, and it's just as awesome. But I doubt it.
8/10
October Horror Gauntlet Film #10
October Horror Gauntlet Film #10
Daybreakers
Directed by Spierig Brothers
Daybreakers kind of came-and-went pretty fast on its theatrical run. I remember seeing the previews for it, and thinking that it might be pretty good, only to completely forget about it once I got around to going to the theater. Daybreakers is the latest film from the Spierig brothers. You remember them, the guys behind the Australian zombie picture Undead from a few years ago. Anyway, it's a hyper-stylized, heavy-on-the-action affair that is probably really less horror than it is a distopyian sci-fi/action picture. Is that a bad thing? Not at all. In fact, I kind of enjoyed Daybreakers.
To catch you up a little bit, the story takes place about ten years in the future. An vampiric epidemic has broken out, and most of the world have become night-walking, blood-sucking vampires. The problem is the country is running out of its blood supply. Insert Ethan Hawke's Edward Dalton - a vampire with a heart of gold that is working on a way to create synthetic blood (ala True Blood). Of course, the plot moves forward from there, and Dalton winds up working with a rag-tag group of humans (including Willem Defoe) to try and put an end to the reign of vampire terror.
Daybreakers is really a pretty lackluster affair. All of the setup is there for a great cult film. The mythos and world the filmmakers created really are a great start. Unfortunately, they don't do a whole lot with it. If it had done better, I would say that maybe a sequel could build on these elements, but I don't see that happening. There just isn't enough meat to...sink your teeth in to. I know that's pretty vague, but watch it and see what I mean. And I do believe it is worth watching. It's a fun, violent movie that works on a few levels. But don't expect your next favorite movie. Oh, I do have to mention this: Sam Neil is great, as usual.
6/10
Daybreakers
Directed by Spierig Brothers
Daybreakers kind of came-and-went pretty fast on its theatrical run. I remember seeing the previews for it, and thinking that it might be pretty good, only to completely forget about it once I got around to going to the theater. Daybreakers is the latest film from the Spierig brothers. You remember them, the guys behind the Australian zombie picture Undead from a few years ago. Anyway, it's a hyper-stylized, heavy-on-the-action affair that is probably really less horror than it is a distopyian sci-fi/action picture. Is that a bad thing? Not at all. In fact, I kind of enjoyed Daybreakers.
To catch you up a little bit, the story takes place about ten years in the future. An vampiric epidemic has broken out, and most of the world have become night-walking, blood-sucking vampires. The problem is the country is running out of its blood supply. Insert Ethan Hawke's Edward Dalton - a vampire with a heart of gold that is working on a way to create synthetic blood (ala True Blood). Of course, the plot moves forward from there, and Dalton winds up working with a rag-tag group of humans (including Willem Defoe) to try and put an end to the reign of vampire terror.
Daybreakers is really a pretty lackluster affair. All of the setup is there for a great cult film. The mythos and world the filmmakers created really are a great start. Unfortunately, they don't do a whole lot with it. If it had done better, I would say that maybe a sequel could build on these elements, but I don't see that happening. There just isn't enough meat to...sink your teeth in to. I know that's pretty vague, but watch it and see what I mean. And I do believe it is worth watching. It's a fun, violent movie that works on a few levels. But don't expect your next favorite movie. Oh, I do have to mention this: Sam Neil is great, as usual.
6/10
October Horror Gauntlet Film #9
October Horror Gauntlet Film #9
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Directed by Jim Sharman
Okay, so this one is a little bit of a cheat. It's not exactly a horror movie, but I think it can quality for the Gauntlet, as it is something of a satire of horror pictures. And, yes, I'm a bit late to the party on this one. I had never seen The Rocky Horror Picture show before. So, I guess the question is did I actually miss out on anything in all those years of having not seen the film? My feelings are actually kind of mixed on that.
From the beginning of the film, at least right after the wedding scene, I was hooked. I loved the "Science Fiction Double-Feature" song and thought that the setup was really going places. And, for the most part, the film continued to work for me for about the first forty minutes. I was into the songs, enjoyed the spectacle, thought Tim Curry was great, and was really interested in where the story was going. Only the story didn't ever really go anywhere. About halfway through the film, I felt like it was really dragging and I got disinterested. The songs started feeling more labored, and I didn't care what was going to happen next. By the end of the picture, my interest had picked back up, and I was enjoying myself again, but the volition was all but gone after the second act.
Do I recommend the film? Yes, I probably do. It is a huge cult film, after all. You might as well see it, at least just to see what all the fuss is about. But I can't say that I will revisit it any time in the near future. I am, however, inclined to get the soundtrack to re-listen to a handful of the songs in the film that really stuck out. Oh, and I should just note that I did watch this one with the wifey, she'd never seen it either, and she is head-over-heels for it now. Looks like this rental just turned into a purchase, just not for me.
6/10
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Directed by Jim Sharman
Okay, so this one is a little bit of a cheat. It's not exactly a horror movie, but I think it can quality for the Gauntlet, as it is something of a satire of horror pictures. And, yes, I'm a bit late to the party on this one. I had never seen The Rocky Horror Picture show before. So, I guess the question is did I actually miss out on anything in all those years of having not seen the film? My feelings are actually kind of mixed on that.
From the beginning of the film, at least right after the wedding scene, I was hooked. I loved the "Science Fiction Double-Feature" song and thought that the setup was really going places. And, for the most part, the film continued to work for me for about the first forty minutes. I was into the songs, enjoyed the spectacle, thought Tim Curry was great, and was really interested in where the story was going. Only the story didn't ever really go anywhere. About halfway through the film, I felt like it was really dragging and I got disinterested. The songs started feeling more labored, and I didn't care what was going to happen next. By the end of the picture, my interest had picked back up, and I was enjoying myself again, but the volition was all but gone after the second act.
Do I recommend the film? Yes, I probably do. It is a huge cult film, after all. You might as well see it, at least just to see what all the fuss is about. But I can't say that I will revisit it any time in the near future. I am, however, inclined to get the soundtrack to re-listen to a handful of the songs in the film that really stuck out. Oh, and I should just note that I did watch this one with the wifey, she'd never seen it either, and she is head-over-heels for it now. Looks like this rental just turned into a purchase, just not for me.
6/10
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
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